Reference height gauge



Sept. 21, 1965 o. WIEGEL 3,206,856

REFERENCE HEIGHT GAUGE Filed Sept. 10, 1962 United States Patent 3,266,856 REFERENCE HEIGHT GAUGE Qtto Wiegel, Chicago, llll. industrial Tool Works, 3541 Marten, fit, Franklin Park, ill.) Filed Sept. 10, 1962, Eier. No. 222,325 4 Claims. (Cl. 33-1170) My invention relates to a reference height gauge of the type adapted for use in conjunction with a true surface whereby the dimensions of machined articles which are translatable into terms of height may be gauged, measured, or compared.

My invention has for a principal object a gauge of the above type which may be set to provide any desired height adjustment with far greater ease, accuracy, and speed than any comparable gauge with which I am familiar. Among other objects may be mentioned the simplicity and inherent accuracy of the device, its relative inexpensiveness, and its ease of use, not only in setting but also in the accessibility of the reference surfaces.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings of which FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a gauge incorporating my invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the right side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the micrometer assembly taken substantially from the line 4-4 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The illustrated device embodying my invention consists of a standard it) and a micrometer assembly 12. The standard includes a base 14 having a pair of rails 16 on the bottom thereof with true bottom surfaces, and an upright 18 extending upwardly from the forward edge of the base. The upright is generally rectilinear with a vertical semi-circular groove 20 formed in its front face to define a pair of vertical ribs 22 having true vertical front surfaces. A gusset 24 and a base block 26 may be provided in the angle between the back side of the upright 18 and the top of the base 14 to provide greater stability to the gauge in the way of counterbalancing the micrometer assembly 12, and to enhance .the appearance of the gauge.

The side edges of the ribs 18 have transverse slots 23 therein at exact and evenly spaced intervals, such as one inch, for instance, as illustrated. The bases 3d of fingers 32 are secured in the slots by screws 34 so that the finger tips 36 extend well to the front of the vertical ribs 22.

The finger tips 36 have downwardly and rearwardly inclined front surfaces 38 to facilitate the attachment of the micrometer assembly. The tops of the finger tips are accurately machined or ground to provide horizontal, evenly spaced top surfaces since these determine the positioning of the micrometer assembly and therefore constitute a fundamental part of the reference.

There are thus provided two vertical columns of fingers in horizontally aligned pairs. In the illustrated embodiment, the top surfaces of the fingers are spaced at even inch intervals above the bottoms of the rails 16.

The lowermost fingers 32a provide an exception to this arrangement. Their top surfaces are spaced 1.1 above the bottom of the instrument in order .to accommodate the micrometer assembly for measurements of less than an inch. The readings obtained will be adjusted by the user. This practice is entirely conventional in the gaugemaking industry.

The micrometer assembly 12 includes an oblong crossice head 46 sufficiently long to span the ribs 18. A metal plate 42 is secured to the front side of the crosshead and includes forwardly bent portions 44 at its ends which constitute finger grips and rearwardly bent hook ends 46 extending downwardly from plate 42 in alignment with the finger tips 32. The hook ends 46 are spaced below the bottom of the crosshead a distance to engage the under side of a transverse pair of finger tips and clamp the crosshead tightly against the top surfaces thereof. The plate 42 extends slightly below the crosshead, as at 47, to limit the insertion of the crosshead on the fingers. Screws 48 secure the plate 42; to the crosshead.

The crosshead has a central vertical aperture 59 therethrougb, a slot extending from the aperture to the rear face and a pair of clamping ears 52 extending rearwardly from the rear face to receive and contain a micrometer screw 55. A clamping screw 54 draws the ears 52 together. The ears are received in the groove 20.

The micrometer screw 55 is conventional, consisting of a stationary sleeve 56 and an interconnected rotatable barrel 57 and stem 58. The sleeve is clamped at its lower end into the aperture 50 of the crosshead. The knurled ring 62 locks the micrometer against turning.

The crosshead also includes an integral reference head guide as carried below the crosshead. The guide is generally a cylindrical member having a front opening, vertically oriented key slot 65 therethrough, ground flat on its front face as at 66 and having a rearwardly opening notch 67 separating it from the crosshead and defining guide supporting arms 68. The notch provides sufiicient fiexure in the crosshead to permit the clamping of the micrometer sleeve.

The reference head 7%, contained in the key slot 65, may be described as a vertically oriented member, T- shaped in cross section, with the stem 72 of the T contained in the key slot and the crossbar 74 of the T facing to the front. The vertical edges of the crossbar 74 are rearwardly beveled as at 76, and a plurality of ears 78 with accurately formed top surfaces extend outwardly from the bevels in staggered relation. Thus, there are two horizontally spaced vertical ranks of ears. In the illustrated embodiment the top surfaces of the ears in each rank are spacedexactly .2" apart and the two ranks of ears are evenly staggered with respect to each other so that, as between the two ranks, the top surface of each ear is exactly .1 above the top surface of the next highest ear.

The upper portion of the stem '72 of the reference head extends rearwardly and enlarges, as at 8%, into the enlarged rearward portion of the key slot 65. The portion 8t may be bored out as at 82 to define a deep downwardly opening cup and a shallow top pocket 84. A spring 86 under compression is contained between the cup 82 and a plate 88 secured against the bottom of the reference head guide 64, as by a dovetail 89. The pocket $4 receives the end of the micrometer stem 58. The reference head, of course, is urged up into continuous contact with the stem by the spring 86. A small adjustment screw 92 may be contained in the wall 94 between the cup 82 and pocket 84 to extend into each cavity and bear against the micrometer stem. It will be appreciated from FIG. 4 particularly that the reference head extends downward substantially below the guide 64.

The operation of my device is believed evident from the foregoing description. When a desired reference height is to be established for instance, 2.222 inchesthe crosshead will be placed on the third pair of fingers from the bottom of the standard. The reference head extending below the crosshead is thus positioned to establish heights of from two to three inches. The reference ears 78 subdivide the one inch space into tenths.

3 Thus the second ear up on the left side of FIG. 1, 78a, will provide the reference surface. Thereafter the micrometer is adjusted to a reading of .022 and the desired reference height is established.

The instrument must, of course, be adjusted so that a .000 micrometer reading corresponds to an even tenth of an inch. The micrometer may be slipped within the aperture 50, or the adjustment screw 92 may be turned for a fine adjustment.

It will be appreciated that while I have described a particular embodiment and particular mechanism for achieving the desired movement of parts, many alternatives will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. In its broadest aspect, my invention resides in the division of the measuring standard into one inch intervals, for instance, and the division of these intervals again into tenth inch intervals by the reference head 70. The greatest movement of the reference head by the micrometer, therefore, is one-tenth of an inch, and such a movement may be very quickly performed. My device should be compared to other devices where a micrometer adjustment may be required over as much as an inch, which is tedious and time-consuming.

As another aspect of this same feature, it will be appreciated that the measuring range down to one-tenth of an inch may be determined simply by placing the crosshead on the appropriate pair of fingers and selecting the proper reference ear. Such selection is quick and accurate. Both the reference surfaces involved, the top of the fingers, and the top surfaces of the ears, are easily formed to a high degree of accuracy.

Particular note should be attached to the staggered columns of reference ears. These generally will be employed to determine the setting of a height gauge finger. The staggered spacing permits a more convenient separation between vertically adjacent ears for accessibility and ease in height gauge setting. As will be evident from the drawings, the ears are thin in order to increase further the space between them in the columns, a little less than .05 inch so as to increase their separation to more than .15 inch. The vertical separation of ears facilitates accurate grinding. Finally, the possibility of error in choosing the proper reference ear is substantially reduced.

It will of course be understood that the particular division of intervals is illustrative only, and other arrange- 4 any height, and heights greater than that illustrated may be formed by stacking two or more uprights.

I therefore desire that my invention be regarded as limited only as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A reference height gauge for establishing a height in terms of a unit of measurement, comprising a standard having forwardly projecting horizontal pairs of parallel fingers spaced vertically a unit apart, and a separate micrometer assembly including a crosshead mountable optionally against the top of any of said pairs of fingers, a vertical micrometer screw mounted to said crosshead, a reference head mounted to said crosshead to be vertically movable to follow said micrometer screw, said head including means providing a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal reference surfaces subdividing said unit evenly.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said reference surface providing means comprise vertically spaced ears arranged in staggered relation in two vertical columns, the thickness of said ears being less than the unit subdivisions.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 including additionally means on said cross head adapted to bear resiliently against the under side of the fingers on which said cross head is mounted.

4. A reference height gauge comprising a standard and a separate micrometer assembly, said assembly including a vertical micrometer screw and a reference head movable vertically by said screw, said head having a plurality of outwardly projecting horizontal ears vertically spaced .1 inch apart arranged alternately in two vertical columns, :said ears having a thickness substantially less than .1 inch, and means on said standard for mounting said assembly thereto at various positions spaced vertically one inch apart.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,624 4/54 Kristensen 33170 FOREIGN PATENTS 599,718 6/60 Canada. 588,544 5/47 Great Britain. 840,985 7/60 Great Britain. 853,684 11/60 Great Britain.

ISAAC LISANN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A REFERENCE HEIGHT GAUGE FOR ESTABLISHING A HEIGHT IN TERMS OF A UNIT OF MEASUREMENT, COMPRISING A STANDARD HAVING FORWARDLY PROJECTING HORIZONTAL PAIRS OF PARALLEL FINGERS SPACED VERTICALLY A UNIT APART, AND A SEPARATE MICROMETER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A CROSSHEAD MOUNTABLE OPTIONALLY AGAINST THE TOP OF ANY OF SAID PAIRS OF FINGERS, A VERTICAL MICROMETER SCREW MOUNTED TO SAID CROSSHEAD, A REFERENCE HEAD MOUNTED TO SAID CROSSHEAD TO BE VERTICALLY MOVABLE TO FOLLOW SAID MICROMETER SCREW, SAID HEAD IN- 